The embodiments described herein generally relate to a device for examining both pupils simultaneously and/or sequentially under high magnification, as well as examining and photo documenting the ocular surface and surrounding tissues under bright and blue/UV light under high magnification, using a simple-to-operate and portable ophthalmic device. More specifically, the embodiments relate to an improved technique for detecting afferent pupillary defect, and evaluating eyelids, conjunctiva, and corneal surface without a slit lamp biomicroscope.
Present day examination of the pupil in a clinical setting consists of shining a penlight in a patient's eye, and attempting to observe the ensuing pupillary constriction. The examiner must also peek into the contralateral eye to see if that pupil also reacts to the light, without having a direct light shined into it. This is called pupillary reaction to consensual light. In normal subjects, both pupils react equally to direct and consensual light. The next step is to swing the penlight back and forth between the two eyes while looking for continuous constriction. If one pupil begins to dilate, the integrity of the optic nerve in that eye comes under question. This is called the Swinging Flashlight Test and a positive or negative finding indicates the presence or absence of an afferent pupillary defect, or a Marcus Gunn Pupil. Some conditions that affect the optic nerve, thereby creating a positive afferent pupillary defect, include optic atrophy, glaucoma, and brain tumors.
Existing ophthalmic devices do not allow simultaneous view of both pupils in a superimposed image using the examiner's both eyes. Typically, the examiner uses one or both of his or her eyes to view only one anatomy part, such as one pupil, of the subject. There are no ophthalmic devices that allow the examiner to utilize both eyes at the same time to view each pupil of the subject.